Graduation Year

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.A.

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Degree Granting Department

Criminology

Major Professor

Chae M. Jaynes, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Mateus Rennó Santos, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Richard Dembo, Ph.D.

Keywords

Current Self, Desistance, Feared Self, Possible Self

Abstract

Self-identity plays a pivotal role in one’s day-to-day life, impacting their behaviors and ambitions, but what is conducive to a change in identity is often underdeveloped. Mechanisms that lead incarcerated individuals to both a shift in identity and desistance away from crime are both underdeveloped as well. The current study examines the impact of programming on identity and the relationship between identity and recidivism. A sample of individuals participating in a reentry prison program responded to 16 statements that evaluated their perceptions of their Overall Self-Identity, Current Self, Feared Self, and Positive Possible Self at the beginning and end of the course. Paired sample t-tests were used for each individual item, subgroup, and aggregate measure, along with a binary logistic regression model to examine a change in identity along with a further impact on recidivism. On average each subgroup and the aggregate measure increased more positively across completion in the course. However, minimal impacts on recidivism were found even when controlling for other variables. These findings suggest that while identity may change across programming, this sense of self-identity is not one of the core mechanisms behind desistance.

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